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Layton Christian's Fabiana Lopez, left, and Weber's Katelyn Poulsen, center, battle for the ball during the Burchell Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, at Weber High School in Pleasant View.

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Ogden's Megan Beus is jubilant after scoring a basket vs. Granger during the Burchell Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, at Weber High School in Pleasant View.

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Weber's Bradey Schiffman (31) drives past Layton Christian's Sarah Ledio (11) during the Burchell Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, at Weber High School in Pleasant View.

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Ogden's Salote Tonga, center right, and Lauretta Taukiuvea (14) fight Granger for possession during the Burchell Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, at Weber High School in Pleasant View.

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Weber's Rylee Jugler, top, defended by Layton Christian's Ava Smith puts up a deep ball during the Burchell Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, at Weber High School in Pleasant View.

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Ogden's Jill Wood, left, and Megan Beus (4) get set as Granger comes down the court during the Burchell Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, at Weber High School in Pleasant View.

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PLEASANT VIEW — Layton Christian guard Fabina Lopez’s game-high 22 points wasn’t enough to stave off Weber girls basketball, shoving off late 66-64 in a non-region thriller on Tuesday during the annual Burchell Classic.

Lopez led the Eagles (1-4) at the rim on a night when the Warriors (3-0) were protecting both home-court pride and an unblemished record heading into the preseason jamboree. Double-figure scoring by seniors Katelyn Poulsen (14 points), Logyn Howell (14) and junior Rylee Jugler (12) saw Weber through the end of a true weeknight shootout.

Weber entered the fourth quarter ahead 51-50 after Poulsen knocked down two free throws during the dying seconds of the third quarter and was intent on keeping it intact to the end, Warriors head coach Trevor Howell said.

“They came out and smacked us in the mouth pretty good,” Howell said. “We responded to that, got down really in the first quarter, got back in it and then the rest of the way was a dogfight.”

LCA opened the contest seemingly one step ahead of the Warriors. Grabbing an early 7-5 lead, sophomore Sarah Ledio (11 points) returned from a Weber timeout with a 3-point bucket to kick off an 11-4 run for the Eagles.

Freshman Bradey Schiffman (7 points) and junior Abigail Hall (5 points) jumped off Weber’s bench for consecutive 3s, with senior Abby Sayer (8 points) drawing two free throws pulling the Warriors within a basket.

With her opponent at arm’s length to begin, Jugler opted for the lead with a deep two at the start of the second quarter. After allowing 22 points through the first eight minutes, Weber held LCA to just 9 total during the next frame.

LCA head coach Jarrod Hoagland said this year’s group, young and unfamiliar with the intense, defensive-minded playing styles in the U.S., have challenged some of his international students through the opening stretch and again Tuesday with Weber.

“They’re learning how to play tough,” Hoagland said. “Defensively, we’re not where we need to be, giving up 66 points. That’s not going to win and we’re working on that heavily. International girls don’t like to play defense. Overseas, they don’t play it a lot. … It’s a learning curve we’re going to have to adapt to.”

Poulsen, Howell and senior McKenna Whetton (3 points) each netted a 3-point basket for the Warriors before halftime, as Weber pushed into the second half with a 38-31 lead and the Eagles’ offense gone quiet.

The Eagles generated two Weber turnovers alongside their 8-0 return to the floor, with Ledio reclaiming a 39-38 LCA lead with 5:30 to go in the third quarter. Both squads squandered short leads down the final seconds, when Poulsen, driving for a last-second layup, drew the whistle and knocked down two for a 51-50 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Lopez gave her Eagles just about every opportunity she could late, burying two late free throws and turning around with a big transition bucket making it 57-all with 2:56 to go. Lopez and Ledio each missed critical 3-point attempts down the stretch, allowing Jugler and Poulsen to outjog their opponent at the stripe through the final 24 seconds.

Trevor Howell chalked the fourth quarter up to the free-throw line and ball security. Weber finished 16 of 22 from the charity stripe.

“We have girls that’re confident they can step up and make some free throws,” Howell said.

Looking ahead, Hoagland said the loss to Weber will hopefully put his group on a more methodical approach to the offense in weeks ahead. Junior Ava Smith (16 points) buried a last-ditch 3-pointer as the clock expired, with Weber strolling away by a single possession.

“We’re not finding the kick,” Hoagland said. “They’re throwing up lousy shots and you’re just hoping. You’re hoping that it goes in, you’re hoping for a foul instead of getting some ball movement. If we move the ball, we’re going to compete with everyone.”

Weber meets Bear River (5:15 p.m.) at Ogden High during Day 2 of the Burchell Classic on Wednesday; Layton Christian takes on Northridge (5:15 p.m.) on Wednesday at Clearfield High.

BOX SCORE

Weber High 19 19 13 15 – 66

Layton Christian 22 9 19 14 – 64

WHS (66): Poulsen 14, Howell 14, Jugler 12, Sayer 8, Schiffman 7, Hall 5, Shupe 3, Whetton 3.

LCA (64): Lopez 22, Smith 16, Ledio 11, Knight-Paris 9, Arroyo 4, Holland 2.

Tonga, Beus guide Ogden in close call over Granger

PLEASANT VIEW — Some nights just don’t carry a rhythm. But Ogden girls basketball didn’t necessarily need one to earn their third win, this one over Granger 38-34 on Tuesday during the opening night of the annual Burchell Classic at Weber High School.

Granger (0-6) left with the game’s leading scorer, senior Pianola Tuaone (12 points), but Salote Tonga’s 10 points pushed the Tigers (3-1) over the hump. The junior big delivered Ogden’s pivotal basket in the game’s waning chances.

Junior Megan Beus’ nine points and sophomore Lily Gonzalez’s six points filled in the gaps during Tuesday’s comeback that saw Ogden lose its lead in the first quarter and claw through nearly 20 minutes of transition basketball to win it back.

Returning a roster full of possibilities, Ogden head coach Andy Blodgett said this Tigers team returns improved endurance, a variable he’d like to build upon as the schedule thickens.

“We lose that game last year,” Blodgett said. “We lose it by five or six. Tonight, we fought back against that adversity.”

Ogden opened the evening with two stops and a 5-0 start behind early shooting by junior Megan Beus. Junior posts Tonga and Lauretta Taukiuvea, generating multiple takeaways on the defensive end, helped the Tigers lead by as much as seven just four minutes in.

The Lancers trimmed their deficit to one possession by the second quarter going on to outscore Ogden 12-4 on their way to the locker room. Senior Pianola Tuaone rose to a floor-high nine points, all scored behind the arc, by halftime.

Remaining competitive on the glass, Ogden’s biggest troubles came on the offensive end with several turnovers coming on missed passes and extra steps. A late travel let Granger slip into the break with a four-point possession by sophomore Hoku Pili.

Blodgett pointed to the second quarter as a missed opportunity to snowball some of Granger’s early miscues.

“It’s been hard to zero in on a (starting five) this year because they give so much,” Blodgett said. “We’re working on a platoon since we’re deep. … We tried to really put the speed on there in the second quarter to get a gap. We thought for two minutes it was working but credit Granger for hitting some big 3s over and over.”

Granger returned weaker from 3-point land but maintained its pressure on the other end. Ogden sophomore Gonzalez delivered her first points of the night from downtown, bringing the Tigers back within a possession, trailing 26-24, late in the third quarter.

Tonga won a battle inside late in the third, drawing a foul to set up a quick pass from Beus to senior Mindy Frost for another Ogden 3 with the third-quarter clock drifting away. With a floater by Gonzalez spinning out of the rim, the Tigers walked into the fourth quarter staring down a one-point Granger advantage.

Fundamentals hurt both squads at the top of the fourth, with Ogden’s turnover troubles persistent and Granger opening the fourth quarter 0 of 4 from the free-throw line. After multiple tries from 3-range, the Tigers retied the knot at 34-34 on a look from junior Jill Wood to Tonga, who finished a one-on-two battle for a bucket with roughly two minutes remaining.

Tonga soon came up big again for the Tigers, putting away a short jumper for a two-point lead with 1:25 left. Gonzalez found Beus for another two-pointer with 40 seconds to go, as the Tigers thwarted the Lancers’ remaining chances to complete the comeback.

“That’s the danger of our team,” Blodgett said. “They can claw back and that’s what we’re going to work on. We’ll be very inconsistent but at some point we’ll hopefully find that consistency.”

Ogden returns to action Wednesday hosting Bonneville at home during Day 2 of the Burchell Classic. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

BOX SCORE

Ogden 12 4 12 11 – 38

Granger 9 12 7 7 7 – 34

Ogden (38): Tonga 10, Beus 9, Gonzalez 6, Wood 6, Frost 3, Duke 2, Vine 2.

Granger (34): Tuaone 12, Myint 8, Harper 4, Pili 4, Naeata 3, Bamba 2.

Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.